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X of Y

X of Y

X of Y

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Educational Value

Kids can learn that Wii Sports Club is a great way to stay active indoors, learn how to play real sports, and engage in healthy competition with friends and family, either beside you or online. Each of the five sports games is accessible, requires exercise to complete, teaches the rules of the game, and encourages sportsman-like conduct. Wii Sports Club demonstrates that virtual athletes of all ages can enjoy competing in these virtual arenas.

Positive Messages

Wii Sports Club is a collection of five sports games. With the exception of boxing -- which allows you to punch cartoon opponents from a first-person perspective -- it's an appropriate Wii U game for players of all ages. The game encourages sportsman-like behavior and healthy competition and could reinforce how fun (real) sports activities are for kids.

Positive Role Models & Representations

You can play as many characters -- male and female, with many diverse options -- plus you can import and use your own Mii character. But, with this kind of game, you don't know anything about the "characters" and their personalities and motives.

Ease of Play

Using the Wii Remote (and GamePad controller), you can play five sports games. Simply wave the controller the way you would with real sporting equipment -- such as a baseball bat or golf club -- and the corresponding action is seen on-screen. It's very easy to control, and there are small tutorials for each game, too.

Violence & Scariness

One of the sports games is boxing, and players can punch opponent in the face from a first-person perspective. If they're getting close to being knocked out, opponents may stagger and sway before falling, and stars can be seen near the head to imply them being dizzy and disoriented. But it's all very cartoon-like.

Language

Consumerism

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Wii Sports Club is a cartoon-like collection of five sports games. Although it's all quite family-friendly, the boxing game does allow players to punch opponents from a first-person perspective. But the game encourages sportsmanship and healthy gameplay, which is a positive experience the whole family can share.

What's it about?

In Nintendo's WII U SPORTS CLUB, Wii U owners can take on "reimagined" versions of Wii Sports games, including tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, and boxing. This game also includes improved graphics, refined control (which takes advantage of Wii MotionPlus technology), online features, and new GamePad features. With the latter, you can use new control options such as choosing from among fastball, curveball, screwball, or splitter pitches (while outfielders can use the GamePad as if it were a baseball glove). Wii Sports Club can be purchased on disc or downloaded digitally from the Nintendo eShop.

Is it any good?

Although this sports collection might feel like déjà vu for some -- it's the same five games as in the original collection from 2006, after all -- the five reimagined sports games for Wii U offer plenty of fun for the whole family. Along with the previously mentioned control changes, GamePad support, and better graphics, a new online multiplayer mode lets gamers play with others from the same area of the world in a region-centric club.

The biggest changes are the GamePad screen and control tweaks, which nicely compliment the core gameplay. At $44.99, the price is a little steep for what you get, especially if you still own the original Wii Sports disc, but overall it proves to be a very fun, social, and active experience for kids and kids at heart.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about whether playing a sports game -- even a virtual one such as Wii Sports Club -- can promote exercise in front of a TV set. Should kids turn off the TV and go outside? Check out our blog posts on screen limits -- and how to turn screens off when it's time.

Talk about the sports included in the game. Do you think these were the best ones to include, or should others have been included instead?

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